Dominic Raab MP was this evening removed from his position as lord chancellor and justice secretary in one of the first ministerial announcements of Liz Truss’s premiership. Former solicitor Raab had been in post for barely a year. 

Raab had been widely expected to be one of the early casualties of the change in prime minister. He was a prominent supporter of Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership election.

The new justice secretary will be the ninth to fill the role since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. Chris Grayling, who managed two years and eight months, remains the longest-serving of those incumbents.

Speculation has centred on barrister Brandon Lewis as a frontrunner to become lord chancellor. He has had eight different ministerial positions in the past eight years, serving under every prime minister during that time, including Northern Ireland, immigration and policing.

Raab’s flagship policy, the Bill of Rights Bill, is due to go before the House of Commons for its second reading next week.

Raab will not be missed by most criminal legal aid practitioners. The Criminal Law Solicitors Association tweeted: ‘Mr Raab, you have left a terrible legacy. All you had to do was implement Sir Christopher Bellamy’s thoughtful and assiduously researched recommendations. You failed to do that. Just 9% for solicitors and a delay in all increases leaves a system in chaos.’

Meanwhile, barrister Suella Braverman, former attorney general, was this evening appointed home secretary. 

Update: Brandon Lewis has been appointed lord chancellor and justice secretary; Michael Ellis QC attorney general. 

In a statement following the announcements, bar chair Mark Fenhalls QC  said: ’The Bar Council welcomes the appointment of senior cabinet members and extends congratulations to Brandon Lewis MP as the new lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice, and Michael Ellis QC MP reappointed as the attorney aeneral. We look forward to meeting to discuss the many challenges faced by the justice system.

’An open and accessible justice system that upholds the rule of law is more critical than ever. The government must commit to sufficiently funding the legal system so that the public gets the service it deserves and stop the attacks on lawyers that undermine confidence in the rule of law and the UK’s legal sector at home and abroad.  

’The most urgent problem to fix is in the criminal courts and that means barristers must be paid the same for the backlog cases as for new cases.  A change at the very top of government offers a chance to find new solutions.’

Professor Chris Bones, chair of CILEX, said: ‘CILEX welcomes the new lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice, and we look forward to continuing the positive working relationship developed under his predecessors. We hope that he will complete the work begun to secure changes that will improve diversity and social mobility across the legal profession. In particular, we want to see the promised removal of the barriers to allow trial ready CILEX lawyers to aid the court backlog by working as crown prosecutors, the removal of the final barriers to judicial appointments for lawyers from diverse backgrounds and the successful passage of the private members bill to address the anomalies in certifying powers of attorney. 

‘CILEX would also like to thank Dominic Raab for his work towards these key goals and his long-stated commitment to the equal standing of CILEX lawyers.’